Shellfish Testing

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Contaminant monitoring programmes in shell fish is a common procedure operated by local councils. Filter-feeding shellfish are an excellent example of bio-monitors. These shell fish process large amounts of water from a fixed location and a wide range of contaminants are likely to accumulate in their tissues. Therefore, shellfish provide a chance to study the history of contaminant exposure at a particular site.

Two groups of contaminants are targeted: key heavy metals and organic contaminants. These contaminants are produced from sources such as vehicle emissions, pesticides, industrial activity and roof runoff and they enter the marine environment through mainly through stormwater discharges.In order to satisfy certain compliance standards, other parameters can also be tested on shell fish samples such as bacteria and viruses.